The impacts of processes of digitalization on the reception of contemporary art in Turkey during Covid-19

ABSTRACT

During the Covid-19 pandemic, internet-based technologies have become a lifeline for artists, art professionals, and audiences. The widespread usage of digital formats and techniques in the production and presentation of artworks has made contemporary art practices more accessible and thus open to being experienced. On that point, we ask: How has contemporary art, which rapidly shifted to digital platforms soon after the outbreak of the pandemic, been received in light of these transformations? By means of an online survey (N = 627), we examined the art-viewing habits of contemporary art audiences in Turkey, exploring how they have changed in the course of the pandemic and how that shift has been reflected in their experiences. Our findings reveal that while audiences have been willing to engage with online art content, the virtual realm cannot and will not be able to replace the physical experience of going to art venues in person.

KEYWORDS:

• Covid-19
• contemporary art
• digitalization
• the digital divide
• audience reception
• Turkey

Acknowledgements

The authors of this article thank the participants who filled out the survey and the two anonymous reviewers whose generous suggestions and insightful feedback have contributed to the final form of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The opening of privately-owned contemporary art galleries in Istanbul and Ankara in the mid-1980s facilitated the establishment of the contemporary art market in Turkey. Next came the launch of the International Istanbul Biennial in 1987, an event that became the main conduit for contemporary art production and a meeting point for artistic circles. In the early 2000s, contemporary art venues started opening in other cities, and from 2019 onwards even more museums opened around the country. As such, while contemporary art is no longer confined to Istanbul as the center of art in Turkey, the city remains a hub for artists, audiences, collectors, and art critics because of its numerous art venues and events, including the Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair (est. 2005), which notably remains Turkey’s only international art fair.

2 We use “digitization” as the conversion of analogue information in any form to digital form to be processed, stored, and transmitted through digital circuits, equipment, and networks (Enhuber, 2015). We use Enhuber’s (2015) take on “digitalization” as the use of digitized content in a virtual reality different from the original art space.

3 See www.peramuseum.org, www.sakipsabancimuzesi.org, www.arter.com, www.salt.com, www.borusancontemporary.com, and www.sanatorium.com.tr; all accessed last on 30 January 2021.

4 See www.art50.net, www.mixerarts.com, and www.nomad-tv.net

5 See for example www.dirimart.com and www.sanatorium.com.

6 Participants who did not visit such venues before March 2020 were excluded from this study.

7 The average monthly household income in 2019 was 4,989 TRY (TÜİK, 2019). In May 2021, 1 TRY equaled approximately 0.12 USD.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey; The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) (grant number: 120K686 - TÜBİTAK 1001 - COVID).